I have a situation where I rented to a couple (not married) and almost immediately they broke up. He’s returned to his ex-wife; she wants to stay, but can’t afford the rent alone. But the unit’s a one-bedroom and it’s not suited for getting a roommate.
They both signed a one-year lease but I’m not sure who to pursue or how. ???
Although we’ve rented this property for almost a decade, I’ve never had this happen before.
KM,
You’re about to find out what needs to be done. The rent will be due in a couple of days and she will either pay or not. If she doesn’t pay IN FULL, then you should contact the ex-shack up tenant and see if he’s going to kick in. If not, then IMMEDIATELY EVICT THEM BOTH (even though he no longer lives there) and see if there is any income or assets you can go after. If either has a good job, call them at work to ask for the money. Many bosses don’t like this and will put some pressure on the employee to pay their bills. Otherwise, you might be able to win a judgement in court and then attempt to collect.
Mike
i agree with property manager
to further this thought, early in my career I had several student housing rentals, im my case they were large houses i rented out
each house had 5 bedrooms, and each house had 5 leases, long story short, everyone was “jointly and severally” liable (this is a useful legal term for your question)
if one (student in my example) pooped out of rent, then the rest made up the difference
its amazing how well they policed themselves, if one guy moved out of the house, they would find me another tennant to pick up the slack of the lost rent